The world of stop-motion animated films is colorful and delightful. And what could be more fun than playing with puppets? But if we take a closer look at the production reality, it’s a different story. Hazardous substances used in synthetic materials and textures, paint, and glue for stop-motion animation are harmful to both human health and the environment, so studios must provide their employees with safety instructions, respirators, and gloves.
These issues are addressed in the international training program of the StopMo Lab, a project headed by Ola Wawrzynkiewicza and Paulina Zacharek. Green Consultants Birgit Heidsiek and Anika Kruse, experts on eco-conscious solutions for film production, developed a sustainable stop-motion animation curriculum that they used to train writers, directors, puppet makers, art directors, and producers throughout the world. The initial results of the workshops were presented at the Animarkt Stop-Motion Forum in Lodz in 2022.
One result of this exchange between experts is the Green StopMo Guide, which features minimum ecological standards for studios, production companies, freelancers, and students. The Green StopMo Lab seminar participants included Mexican director Arturo Tornero and puppet maker Nabí Orozco, who were looking for a biodegradable alternative to replace silicone in stop-motion animation production. They teamed up with research professor Sandra Pascoe Ortiz, who developed a nontoxic, renewable material made from cactus resin, which won the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property’s National Invention Award.
The bioplastic is useful for stop-motion animation production because it can be easily cut with a knife, just as silicone, but it can also be stripped out of an armature. “All of the material disappears in a month’s time in water or compost – and it can even be eaten!” says Arturo Tornero. ‘Cactus jelly’ tastes good, and it’s a little spicy.” As with any new material, the scientist and the filmmakers still need to invest time in its development and test its applications. This material is more complicated than inorganic chemical ones because it has more limitations.
Instead of searching for more eco-friendly materials, Kike Ortega, director and animator at Pataka production in Santiago, Chile, is using available materials. As with the production of live action films, it’s all about communication. The whole team needs to pay attention to the materials they are using and wasting to produce in an eco-friendlier way. “It’s best to have eco-friendliness in mind to use resources efficiently, instead of the other way around, namely, to have this idea in mind and then get the resources to make it”, Kike Ortega points out. “A more sustainable approach is to be aware of the available resources and to use an eco-friendly methodology. I start there and come up with an idea of what I can do with it.”
The award-winning stop-motion animation filmmaker Francesca Nobili developed her own shooting technique for the short films she presents on
her Circle Entertainment platform. Her approach is to find materials and turn “something into something else” – a plastic dental floss cylinder can be turned into wheels or cups. When she needs something that she can’t buy, she tries to find a work-around. While she was working on her stop-motion animated short film Guacamole, she spent hours in the supermarket searching for the perfect tomato. People were looking at her suspiciously, so she simply replied: “Stop staring at me. I’m just looking for a tomato I can animate.”
“The time for half-measures and climate denial is over. Unless we move quickly away from fossil fuels, we’re going to destroy the air we breathe, the water we drink, the health of our children, grandchildren and future generations. If we’re going to avoid the worst of the impacts, then we’ve just got to act boldly. And we must act immediately."
Robert Redford
Actor, Director, Producer, Environmentalist
"The media has a powerful role to play in the fight against climate change. Through films, television, and all media outlets, we must continue to deliver the message that solutions are out there and are happening now. We have to make it attractive for people to take action. Movies like Avatar, The Day After Tomorrow, and documentaries like Years of Living Dangerously, which I was proud to be a part of, have been very popular, reaching and inspiring millions of people. And I believe films in particular can really inspire and make people want to take action. It’s great to see some of my film-industry friends working with climate related organizations to push forward those messages."
„It‘s high time to reorganize film production in Germany in a ‚greener‘ and more sustainable way. So far, I am flabbergasted by how much our industry works in environmentally harmful ways.To this very day, it starts with until today one-sided print-outs of scripts, and then it continues with plastic bottles in production offices and lots of plastic waste with every catered meal, and it doesn‘t stop with the limousines that pull up to a red carpet.
For many years, people have sneered at me when I brought my own cup or I declined to eat cheap meat served on paper or plastic plates with plastic knives and forks. It would be great if the Green Shooting Card could change all that.“
Director (Ben X, Time of My Life)
„It’s absolutely great that filmmakers all over the world are trying to clean up their act, and are trying to film as sustainable as we possibly can. Still, I think we shouldn’t underestimate the incredible power of the moving image to also change the hearts and minds of people.
So, apart from trying to be more environmentally aware in our business, I think the big gain lies in how we might make everyone more environmentally aware. Yes, cinema can change the world.
I think filmmakers should start using the powerful weapon in our hands that is the camera.
Let’s not only try to do ‘less bad’. Let’s try to do right, and help drive the change that we all know needs to arrive.“
“We are living in a time in which we can’t afford to behave irresponsibly towards nature. The more important is it that film productions try to work as environmentally friendly as possible. A film team produces every day tons of garbage. I try to avoid using plastic cups on set, I bring my own cup, use ecofriendly cosmetics and avoid needless single rides.”
Photo ® Maddalena Arosio
Darren Aronofsky, Director, Noah / Jury President, 65th Berlin International Film Festival
“When we did Noah we knew we were making a film about the first steward of the earth, so we wanted to be good stewards ourselves. There’s so much waste on film sets. Because of groups like Earth Angel, we were able to change that a little bit.”
"As a TV and film producer I try to incorporate environmental storylines into my projects as much as possible. But it’s just as important, if not more, to ‚go green‘ behind the scenes! Therefore, I help run the Producers Guild of America’s Green Initiative.
We provide resources such as a Best Practices and a Carbon Calculator to help producers green their productions. We also partnered with all the major studios to create www.greenproductionguide.com which is a free green vendor database with over 2,000 vendors offering sustainable production solutions worldwide!"
‚Green screens excepted, we will do everything in our power to be as innovative as we can in order to make our production as green as possible.‘
Photo: (c) herbXfilm Dieter Mayr
Lars Jessen
Director (Fraktus, Dorfpunks, Am Tag als Bobby Ewing starb)
‘It is somewhat embarrassing that green filming is only now becoming an issue in our industry because there have long since been many possibilities to shoot more efficiently.
Technical innovations such as energy efficient lighting are as much a part of this as the awareness of every crew member.’
‚I do work with a company in the States called Sungevity that leases solar panels to homes. They figured out how to move forward environmentally and how to make it economically successful.
So that’s my small but steadfast global contribution. I think everybody doing a little bit is all that’s made any difference, ever.‘
Producer, Director and Visual Effects Supervisor (2001: A Space Odysee, Blade Runner)
"Trumbull Studios in Massachusetts is dedicated to being green as much as possible, including the use of LED lighting, solar power, and solar laptops. This is not just because our location has limited amperage and no three-phase, we believe we have a responsibility to our community and our planet to be a clean industry.
We are planning for digital photography in 3D 4K at 120 frames per second from remote and inaccessible locations that will not have available power. Solar is the way to go."
Dieter Kosslick, Director Berlin International Film Festival
„The Berlinale is already actively addressing the sustainability subject since years. We appreciate it very much that a growing number of filmmakers, among them this year‘s jury presiden Darren Aranofsky, is following green guidelines on set.“
Benoit Delhomme
Director of Photography (A Most Wanted Man)
‘I never have been told precisely what the rules are for shooting a green movie, but we are trying to do it. This is something new for me. Sometimes people overlight scenes at night. I don’t. If I can see with my own eyes, then it is enough for the film. In that sense I am a green DoP.’
Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons who stars in the Berlinale Competition entry The Night Train To Lisbon is a fan of source segregated recycling. „Especially in Germany you have done a lot for that. You are examplary in the matter of waste separation.“
The Hollywood actor travelled around the world to promote the environmntal documentary feature film Trashed by Candida Brady which deals with the global garbage problem: „We buy it, we bury it, we burn it and then we ignore it“, says Brady. „With Jeremy Irons as our guide, we discover what happens to the billion or so tons of waste that goes unaccounted for each year.“
Since the world premiere at the International Cannes Film Festival in 2012 Trashed picked up various nominations and awards at international festivals.
One result of this exchange between experts is the Green StopMo Guide, which features minimum ecological standards for studios, production companies, freelancers, and students. The Green StopMo Lab seminar participants included Mexican director Arturo Tornero and puppet maker Nabí Orozco, who were looking for a biodegradable alternative to replace silicone in stop-motion animation production. They teamed up with research professor Sandra Pascoe Ortiz, who developed a nontoxic, renewable material made from cactus resin, which won the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property’s National Invention Award.
Instead of searching for more eco-friendly materials, Kike Ortega, director and animator at Pataka production in Santiago, Chile, is using available materials. As with the production of live action films, it’s all about communication. The whole team needs to pay attention to the materials they are using and wasting to produce in an eco-friendlier way. “It’s best to have eco-friendliness in mind to use resources efficiently, instead of the other way around, namely, to have this idea in mind and then get the resources to make it”, Kike Ortega points out. “A more sustainable approach is to be aware of the available resources and to use an eco-friendly methodology. I start there and come up with an idea of what I can do with it.”
The award-winning stop-motion animation filmmaker Francesca Nobili developed her own shooting technique for the short films she presents on
Robert Redford
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Hannes Jaenicke
Nic Balthazar
Nadeshda Brennicke, Actress
Darren Aronofsky, Director, Noah / Jury President, 65th Berlin International Film Festival
Tim Bevan
Thekla Reuten
Rachael Joy
Nikola Rakocevi
Nadja Schildknecht
Michael Bully Herbig
Lars Jessen
Helen Hunt
Douglas Trumbull
Dieter Kosslick, Director Berlin International Film Festival
Benoit Delhomme
Jeremy Irons